Page 1 of Wild Pucker

Prologue

Pulling Ponytails

Lily

Eleven Years Ago…

Chase Wilder is a jerk.

He's a big, mean, stupid jerk. And so is my brother Luke. And their friend Eric, he's a jerk too. They're all just a bunch of jerks.

I'm so freaking mad and stomping around the backyard in my fury isn't helping. My eye snags on a nice, big rock in Mom's garden. So naturally, I pick up the cool and heavy stone and launch it at the treehouse that I'm not allowed inside. It thunks against the wood siding before dropping back down the grass.

Luke pops his head out of the window, looking down at me with a scowl.

"Go away, Lily. We're doing important stuff up here."

Ha. Important, my hiney. I'm not stupid. I might be three years younger, but even I know what sixteen-year-old boys do inside treehouses on their phones. Not that I want to look at naked women, but Chase, Eric, and Luke always leave me out of everything.

"It's my turn, and Riley is going to be here any minute," I yell back. We're having a girls' night, and my brother is already ruining it.

"We'll be done by the time she gets here. Just go away, you little midget," Eric taunts from above. Eric Stone is a bully. I don't know why Luke's even friends with him. They're hockey buddies, but there's something not right with that boy. He's just plain mean.

"Hey man, leave her alone." I hear Chase's voice, and something inside me lights up at his defence, but it dims when he adds, "She's just a kid."

Chase may be a jerk, but he's a beautiful jerk. All the girls think so. With all that unruly black hair and turquoise blue-green eyes, he's unnaturally good-looking. If his skin was a little paler and had a bit of sparkle, you could mistake him for a hot vampire. His braces came off this summer, so he has a perfect smile to add to the package. It's not fair.

I may have a teeny, tiny crush on my brother's best friend, but he's still a jerk for hanging out with Luke and banning me from my own treehouse. I'm not delusional. I know nothing will ever come of my stupid feelings. All Chase will ever see me as is Luke's little sister—the little girl with braces and a ponytail for him to pull.

I huff and go back into the house to wait for Riley. Mom's smiling out the kitchen window, shaking her head at us and making sandwiches for everyone.

"Mom," I whine,"Luke's being an idiot."

"I'm sure you don't want to be up there with the boys anyway, Lily." She laughs while spreading mayo out on a piece of bread.

"Do you know what they're doing up there?" This question only makes Mom laugh harder. She definitely knows what they're doing up there.

"Honey, I'm the mother. I know everything. I do the laundry. I know everyone's dirty secrets. Boys will be boys."

Gross! I don't even want to know what she's talking about.

By the time Riley arrives, the boys have disappeared, and we decide binge-watching movies on Netflix is how we want to spend our evening. We plan to consume as much popcorn and chips as humanly possible while watching sappy love stories and romcoms.

"What next?" I ask as the credits for Never Been Kissed start to roll, and everyone's gone to bed.

"Titanic?" Riley suggests.

"No way! Too long and too depressing."

Trying to pick a movie on Netflix is harder than choosing only one favourite flavour of ice cream. There are too many choices and I spend more time scrolling through options and reading movie blurbs than watching anything. It's too hard to choose just one. And for some stupid reason, my brain fails to understand that it can only watch one thing at a time and not ten things simultaneously.

"Wanna go into the treehouse and read some tarot cards?" I ask Riley, throwing down the remote.

"Yes!"

Giggling, we quickly grab a few blankets, flashlights, and a lighter for my candles. I don't think it makes a difference if the candles smell like coconut to the spirits. It's all about ambiance.

I realize I didn't think this plan through when we reach the treehouse ladder. I only have two hands, and I can't very well climb up with a flashlight, candles, blankets and snacks weighing me down. I'll break my neck if I try to climb and balance our supplies at the same time. It's a decent-sized treehouse with a roof, a door, windows and everything. The floor is even carpeted, and it's big enough to sleep in if we want to. My dad and uncle built it for Luke and me. We don't see Uncle Eddie that often because he plays in the NHL, but a few summers ago, he helped build our little hideaway.

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